‘Oil above Water:’ Economic Interdependence and Third-Party Intervention

Vincenzo Bove
Kristian Skrede Gleditsch
Petros G. Sekeris
Journal of Conflict Resolution. Forthcoming.
We explore economic incentives for third parties to intervene in ongoing internal wars. We develop a three‐party model of the decision to intervene in conflict that highlights the role of the economic benefits accruing from the intervention and the potential costs. We present novel empirical results on the role of oil in motivating third‐party military intervention. We find that the likelihood of a third‐party intervention increases when (a) the country at war has large reserves of oil, (b) the relative competition in the sector is limited, and (c) the potential intervener has a higher demand for oil.
DOI: 10.1177/0022002714567952
Bove, Vincenzo, Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, and Petros G. Sekeris. “‘Oil Above Water:’ Economic Interdependence and Third-Party Intervention.” Journal of Conflict Resolution. Forthcoming.
@article{bove2015oil,
   Author = {Bove, Vincenzo and Gleditsch, Kristian Skrede and Sekeris, Petros G.},
   Journal = {Journal of Conflict Resolution.},
   Publisher = {SAGE Publications},
   Title = {`Oil above Water:' Economic Interdependence and Third-Party Intervention},
   Volume = {Forthcoming},
   Year = {N.d.},
   abstract = {We explore economic incentives for third parties to intervene in ongoing internal wars. We develop a three-party model of the decision to intervene in conflict that highlights the role of the economic benefits accruing from the intervention and the potential costs. We present novel empirical results on the role of oil in motivating third-party military intervention. We find that the likelihood of a third-party intervention increases when (a) the country at war has large reserves of oil, (b) the relative competition in the sector is limited, and (c) the potential intervener has a higher demand for oil.},
   doi = {10.1177/0022002714567952},
   url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022002714567952}
}